Abstract
We report the observation of quantum reflection from a narrow attractive potential using bright solitary matter waves formed from a Bose-Einstein condensate. We create the attractive potential using a tightly focused, red-detuned laser beam, and observe reflection of up to 25% of the atoms, along with the confinement of atoms at the position of the beam. We show that the observed reflected fraction is much larger than theoretical predictions for a simple Gaussian potential well. A more detailed model of bright soliton propagation, accounting for the generic presence of small subsidiary intensity maxima in the red-detuned beam, suggests that these small intensity maxima are the cause of this enhanced reflection.
- Received 7 July 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.93.021604
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